Mute



April 26, 1932.

L. SANSONE MUTE Filed July 30, 1950 LSSSARE Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES LORENZO SANSONE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUTE

Application led July 30, 1930. Serial No. 471,836.

rlhis invention relates to mutes for musical instruments and more particularly to mutes for instruments of the brass and woodwind type. l Heretofore, the conventional mutes used in the brass wind instruments, i. e. French horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas, etc., have been of the transposing type, that is, when the mute is used, each note played by the player is transposed one-half tone upwards. This has been particularly unsatisfactory to the player, not only by virtue of the added difficulty of his transposing one-half tone downwards in order to produce the notes as written, but also due to the fact that the upward transposition, through the use of the mute, was not always precisely one-half tone and the instrument was required to be re tuned each time the mute was used. The

hasbeen foundsuccessful is exceedingly large and bulky and usually requires a separate case to transport same. Up to the present time no satisfactory nontransposing mute has been provided for the instrument of the wood-wind type.

The object of the present invention is to provide a mutel for musical instruments, either of the brass or wood-wind type, which is small and compact and therefore readily carried in the bell of the horn or in an unused portion of the case, and which, in addition to being non-transposing, will provide means for positive adjustment of the pitch, thereby enabling it to be used on any instrument of the class for which its size is adapted, and 'insuring in each case a perfect non-trans posed tone by virtue of its novel adjusting or tuning device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mute which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and which will give instruments upon which it is used a sweet, subdued tone rather than the dull, muffled tone produced by the conventional mute.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter specifically pointed out, or will become apparent, as the speci- `ication proceeds.

only kind of nontransposing mute which lith the above indicated objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel constructions and combinations and arrangement ofparts,clearly described in the follow* ing specification and fully illustratedin ther accompanying drawings, which latter shows an embodiment of the invention as at present preferred.

In said drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in sec! 60 tion, of the bell portion of a trumpet or French horn, and showing the improved mute in position for use.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the improved mute, partially in section, and showing also a variation in the construction thereof.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the said drawings.

Referring now to said drawings by reference characters the num-eral 5 indicates the bell portion of a trumpet, French horn or other brass wind instrument, into which the improved mute is inserted.

The mute includes a body structure 6 which is constructed of aluminum, brass, or other suitable metal or any composition material such as fiber, etc. This body structure may be stamped, or cast, in the case of' 80 composition material, in one piece, although in the pref-erred construction it is made in two pieces and comprises a shell portion 7 and a closed terminal cap portion 8.

The body is of sufficient length so that S5 when the mute is inserted in the instrument the cap portion 8 of the mute will be approXimately flush with the end of the bell, as shown in Fig. l.

The shell portion of the improved mute is bell shaped and is provided at the narrow upper end thereof with a plurality of radialljT disposed gripping Aflanges 9 constructed of cork or other suitable resilient material, said flanges being adapted to engagel the inside of the bell 5, thereby securing the mute within the horn while the mute is being used. There is also provided at the narrow end of the shell portion an inturned flange or threaded bushing 10, said flange or bushing being integral with said shell portion. Into this flange is screwed a threaded tube 11, constructed of sheet met-al or composition material, said tube having a reduced diameter near its lower portion 11. The tube is also provided with a knurled collar 13 at the upper end thereof to assist in screwing same in or out. Thus it will be seen that that portion of the tube which resides inside of the body of the mute in effect provides an extension chamber, thereby enabling the mute to be of considerably smaller size than the type presently used.

If, when the mute is inserted in the instrument, the resulting tone is lowered from what it would be without the mute, the tube is screwed outwards until the same has been raised to the truc pitch. Likewise, if the tone is too high the tube is screwed inwardly thereby lowering the tone.

Fig. 4 shows a variation in the construction of the mute wherein an inturned flange or threaded bushing 14 integral with the cap portion 8 is provided, and another tube 15 is screwed into same. This tube 15 is hollow, thereby allowing the sound to pass directly through the mute. This tube 15 is intended to compliment the action of the other tube 11, the tonevwhich will be produced by the addition being somewhat softer than the single tube only. In this construction of the mute an auxiliary closing cap, not shown, can be provided to close the opening in the cap portion 8 when it is desired not to use the second tube.

A further variation in the construction of the mute is to provide a rubber gasket or collar around the upper end of the shell in place of the gripping flanges, thereby closing the passageway in the bell on the outside of the shell and allowing all of the sound to pass through the mute and out of the tube 15 and the lower end thereof, thereby producing yet a different muted tone.

A still softer and more subdued tone will be produced by placing a ring or gasket of cork, rubber or other material within the tube 11, at either end thereof.

The size of the improved mute varies with the size and kind of instrument upon which it is used. It will 'ne obvious, therefore, that when th-e mute is constructed for use in clarinets, oboes or other wood wind instruments the mute will be quite small in order to fit into the relatively small bell portions of said instruments.

The hereinbefore described construction admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention; therefore, it is the wish not to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described, which are as aforesaid by way of illustration merely. In other words, the scope of protection contemplated is to be taken solely from the appended claims, interpreted as broadly as is consistant with the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. A mute for a wind musical instrument including a bell-shaped body structure, said body structure being closed at its larger end and being open at its smaller end, an inturned threaded bushing integral with said open end, a threaded tube adapted to be screwed into the threaded bushing, said threaded tube having a collar portion at one end thereof and being tapered at its opposite end.

2. A mute for a wind musical instrument including a bell-shaped shell structure open at its smaller end, a cap portion terminally closing said structure at its opposite end, an inturned threaded bushing at the open end of said shell structure and being integral therewith, an externally threaded tubevadapted to be screwed into said threaded bushing,'and a plurality of radially disposed gripping flanges secured to the outer portion of said open end, said flanges being adapted to secure the mute to the inside of the bell of a musical instrument, the tube being adapted to be screwed inwardly or outwardly for lowering or raising the tone of said instrument.

3. A mute for a wind musical instrument including a bell-shaped shell structure open at its smaller end, a cap portion forming a" closing terminal over the opposite end of said structure, an inturned threaded bushing at the open end of said shell structure and being integral therewith, an externally threaded tube adapted to be screwed into said threaded bushing, said tube having a collar portion at one end thereof and being tapered at its opposite end, and a plurality of radially dlsposed gripping flanges secured at intervals around the outer portion of said open end, said flanges being adapted to secure the mute to the inside of the bell of a musical instrument, the tube being adapted to be screwed inwardly or outwardly, for lowering or raising the tone of said instrument.

4. A mute for a wind musical instrument, comprising a bell-shaped shell structure constructed of sheet metal, said shell structure being open at its smaller end and having a cap portion forming a closing terminal over its opposite end, an internally threaded bushing at the open upper end of said shell structure and being integral therewith, an externally threaded tube adapted to be screwed into said threaded bushing, and a plurality of radially disposed gripping flanges secured to the outer portion of the open end of said shell structure, said flanges being adapted to secure the mute to the inside of the bell of a musical instrument, the tube being adapted to be screwed inwardly or outwardly for lower ing or raising the tone of said instrument.

5. A mute for a wind musical instrument including a bell-shaped shell structure open at its smaller end and a cap structure forming a closing terminal over its opposite end, an inturned threaded bushing at the open upper end of said shell structure and being integral therewith, an externally threaded tube adapted to be screwed into said threaded bushing, a plurality of radially disposed gripping flanges secured to the outer portion of said open end, said flanges being adapted to secure the mute to the inside of the bell of a musical instrument, the tube being adapted to be screwed inwardly or outwardly for lowering or raising the tone oi said instrument, an internally threaded bushing integral with said cap structure and a bell-shaped tube having a threaded portion thereon, said bell-shaped tube being adapted to be screwed into the internally threaded bushing in said Cap structure.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiiX my signature.

LORENZO SANSONE. 

